Ex-IGPs Okiro, Alkali Baba, PSC Task Nigeria Police on 2027 Election Security Roadmap
- Retired IGPs Mike Okiro and Alkali Baba spoke at CARSPO 2026 in Owerri, calling on the police to develop a concrete security plan for the 2027 elections
- Okiro warned of threats ranging from criminal sponsorship of banditry to AI-generated deepfakes and drone use by non-state actors
- The Police Service Commission representative commended IGP Disu for ongoing reforms and cited the recent Osun governorship election as a sign of improved police planning
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Owerri, Imo state - Two retired Inspectors General of Police and a senior representative of the Police Service Commission (PSC) have urged the Nigeria Police Force to develop a clear, practical security roadmap ahead of the 2027 general elections, with threats ranging from politically sponsored banditry to artificial intelligence-generated disinformation topping their list of concerns.
Source: UGC
They spoke at the Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers (CARSPO 2026), organised by Lender's Consult in partnership with the Force Headquarters and with support from the Imo State Government. The retreat took place at the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Convention Centre in Owerri and brought together the police management team, senior officers, representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), civil society groups and development partners. Its theme was: "Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections."
Okiro Identifies Key Threats
Delivering a goodwill message, retired IGP Mike Okiro said Nigeria's security architecture was under significant pressure from terrorism in the North-East, banditry in the North-West and North-Central, separatist agitation in parts of the South-East and South-West, and a rise in kidnapping, cybercrime and cultism. He said unresolved allegations linking political, business, military and traditional interests to the funding of banditry had damaged public trust and made intelligence gathering harder.
Okiro proposed that any roadmap be built around three pillars: a unified, police-led inter-agency command structure involving the Army, the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; strict police neutrality against political inducement; and proper welfare and accountability for deployed officers. He also called for closer intelligence-sharing with INTERPOL and foreign partners to counter cross-border arms flow and offshore disinformation, and warned officers to prepare for deepfakes, drone attacks, assaults on INEC facilities and attempts to abduct candidates.
Alkali Baba Draws on 2023 Experience
Retired IGP Usman Alkali Baba, who oversaw security for the 2023 general elections covering more than 176,000 polling units and 93 million registered voters, said that operation was among the most complex in recent history. He credited its relative success to careful planning and partnership through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, noting it reduced ballot box snatching compared with earlier elections, though attacks on INEC facilities and misinformation remained concerns.
Baba called for a standing roadmap that builds on lessons from the 2019 and 2023 polls and off-cycle elections in Kogi, Imo, Edo, Ondo and Osun states. He named vote buying, drone use and AI-generated fake news as emerging threats, and said the police would work with INEC, telecommunications companies and social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp and TikTok to remove false content.
Source: Twitter
Representing the PSC Chairman, retired Deputy Inspector General Taiwo Lakanu commended IGP Olatunji Disu for reforms including technology-driven policing and the creation of a Violent Crime Response Unit. Speakers closed by urging that the retreat produce a costed, time-bound plan owned by police commands rather than another conference with no follow-through.
Source: Legit.ng
